


Along the Shore

by casszepptraxx



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Dean, Civilian Sailor Dean Winchester, Creature Castiel, Deep Sea, Destiel - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explorer Sam, Fin-kin, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hawaii, M/M, Mer!Gabriel - Freeform, Mermaids, Mermen, Merpeople, Ocean, Sailor!Sam, Sam Winchester is called Sammy, Sea, Swearing, Telepathy, Top Castiel, WIP, because there is no way Cass can be bottom, diver!Dean, fin!kink (don't judge me), mer!cas, merfolk, mermaid, sailor!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 23:06:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10449597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casszepptraxx/pseuds/casszepptraxx
Summary: Alternate Universe where Castiel is a merman and Dean is a sailor. One day, their paths cross and both of their lives are changed forever.*Dunno if this is going to be a one-shot or not. I guess we'll find out, huh?**UPDATE- yeah it's going to be a full fic**UPDATE TWO- This is a WIP*_______© 2017, okapi427- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.DO NOT POST THIS STORY ON ANY OTHER WEBSITE OR PLATFORM WITHOUT MY WRITTEN CONSENT. IF YOU SEE MY MATERIAL ON ANOTHER PLATFORM, CONTACT ME ASAP.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LokiNeedsHugs1031](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiNeedsHugs1031/gifts), [supernaturaI](https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernaturaI/gifts).



> I have been OBSESSED with merman!Cass and sailor!Dean. Yet, I'm finding that there aren't that many fics for it. And it makes me extremely sad.
> 
> So, thanks to the help of one of my fellow writers, I've decided to write this fic. I dunno if it's just a one-shot or if I'm going to turn it into a full book. For now I'll mark it as one chapters and I guess I'll just see how it goes, depending on the feedback I get :) But for now, enjoy.

Dean wiped the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead. He turned and looked at Sam who was walking towards him, his own shirt soaked with sweat as well. “You ready to go under?” he asked as he handed Dean a pair of goggles. 

Dean bit the inside of his cheek as he looked at them. He then looked down at the crystal water that was shining back at him, the sun glistening down on it. He sighed and looked at Sam. “You sure you don’t want to do this one?”

“Dean, I did the last one and the one before that. Zacharia is positive that this shipwreck has the heirloom that the museum wants. They’re paying good money for us to grab the golden necklace.” he said, his brows furrowed together as the sun shone down on them.

He sighed and then slid into the flippers. He looked down at the crystal water and then back at Sam one more time. “Last chance.”

“Dean, go. Before I shove you in myself.” he chuckled. He laughed himself, his jade eyes filled with amusement yet some fear. The boat was rocking slowly, making him feel slightly lightheaded. “Besides. The water is nice and cool compared to this blazing sun,” Sam said, covering his eyes with his hands.

“True,” he said and then slid the goggles on. He put the mouthpiece in and then sat on the edge. Three hours and forty-five minutes. That’s how long he had before he needed to come up to the surface. He leaned back and before he knew it, he was surrounded by the hawaiian water. He looked around and found himself surrounded by the ocean beauty that he always loved seeing.

He looked at the colorful coral that were surrounded by equally colorful fish, swimming in circles and going about their day. They didn’t seem the least bit fazed by Dean who was watching them with fascination. Don’t get Dean wrong, he hated the Ocean more than anything. Especially since the day that he almost drowned. But it was mostly the water that he hated. The marine life? Dean couldn’t get enough of it. 

He floated there for a few moments before he heard static in his ear. “Dean, come on. Time is money and not something that you have on your side. The shipwreck is about a mile out. I’ve seen you swim quick and I know you can make it. This could be the job that solves everything for us, Dean. Remember that.”

Dean rolled his eyes and then started to swim out, looking around the world that he rarely explored anymore. It was so strange that they had an entirely different universe at their fingertips, but they rarely explored it. So much was out there, yet so little had been found. He was brought out of his reverie as he felt the water temperature drop quickly. Goosebumps crawled across his spine and he fought the shiver that wanted to escape him. 

He wanted to turn around and swim back, but he could vaguely hear the hum of the boat above him, reassuring him that the moment he needed help, it’d be there. He found the shipwreck in about ten minutes after he swam out. It was dark and the temperature seemed to only drop lower. He moved closer towards it, his hand reaching his tool belt as he grabbed his underwater flashlight. He clicked it and he had a dim light appear.

It didn’t help a lot, but it gave him a better look. He swam around the long boat-it couldn’t have been shorter than twenty feet long and twenty feet wide- looking for an entrance that he could enter without being injured or popping his tank open. After about fifteen minutes, he found a hole that was wide enough, but at the same time, he barely fit through it. He pressed on his ear piece a few times, sending the silent signal to Sam that he was in.

“Alright, now the map that we got shows that there’s two levels. The necklace we’re looking for should be on the lower level. Do you see any entrance there that you can fit through?”

Dean moved the flashlight around and tapped on his earpiece as he saw a large hole in the floor. He heard some shuffling and then a sigh. “Alright, go through that hole and it should be the room towards the end of the ship. There’s a glass window in the room, luckily, so once you get your hands on the necklace you can break the window and get out. You’ll be back up here before you know it.”

Dean inhaled the oxygen deeply and then swam towards the entrance. He fit through with more ease this time and then moved the light around. As he swam, he felt a cool gust of water brush by his legs. He turned around and frowned as he moved the light around, his legs moving slowly. He couldn’t see anything so he figured it was just the current. 

Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself so that he wouldn’t freak out.

Dean found the room after thirty minutes and grabbed the rusty knob, trying to open it. He found himself getting agitated as he realized the door was locked. He reached into his tool kit and found a small but heavy hammer. He moved it out and tried to swing quickly, although the water didn’t really help with speed.

He felt the knob fall off and the door slowly opened. Dean pushed it further opened and entered the room. He looked around, trying to ignore the feeling that he was being watched. His eyes scanned the room and that’s when he heard static in his ear. “The… in… box…”

Dean’s brows furrowed and he tapped four times on his earpiece, letting Sam know he need to repeat himself. He heard a static groan of frustration. “... Necklace… wooden… drawer…”

He wanted to scream in frustration but instead he tried to piece the words together. He decided that he needed to look for a wooden drawer and hopefully he’d find a box with the golden necklace. He moved the flashlight around and, after about fifteen minutes of wandering the small cabin and searching through stuff, he found a wooden drawer under a tipped over table. Dean grabbed it and saw a small box that was extremely rusty. It didn’t surprise him since this heirloom was at least fifty years old.

He slid the box in the pocket of his suit and went to turn around when he heard more static. But he felt his body freeze as he heard three words, loud and clear.

“Get… hurry… sharks.”

He felt his heart stop and he looked out the glass window. His brows furrowed but there was no way he could mistake that long gray tail for anything else. He tried to calm himself down so he didn’t hyperventilate. But all sense left the window as he saw the white belly of the shark as it swam over the window. He looked at the length and tried to not scream.

Not just any shark. A great white.

Dean quickly looked around the room for an exit, but he couldn’t find one except for the window. But there was no way in Hell he was going to go out there. At least, not until his life depended on it. He tried to think about how long he had been under there. One hour? Two? He honestly had no idea how much time he had left.

He swallowed his pride and fear as he waited for the shark to swim by once more. Once he was sure the shark was far away enough, he grabbed his hammer and threw it through the window quickly. He pulled the glass back but then inwardly hissed as he felt a shard of glass cut through his glove. He stared down and saw the fresh wound appear, a small swirl of blood appear in front of his face.

Fuck.

He quickly kicked the rest of the glass away and pushed himself out of there. He started to swim quickly but he could already sense the large predator behind him. It wasn’t surprising, considering sharks could smell blood up to three miles away. Dean tried to swim faster, but his lungs were burning and his muscles were aching. He could see the boat about twenty feet above him. If he could just shake off this shark…

He felt something grab his foot and he couldn’t stop the scream that escaped him. It yanked him back down and he felt his entire body be brushed by the current of the water. He tried to kick away but the grip was strong. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder why the grip wasn’t killing him with pain. 

Before he knew it, he was in a dark area, not sure of where he was exactly. His eyes darted around but it was too dark. He was hyperventilating now, using up more of his oxygen than he should. He panted slightly, fear swallowing him whole. If he lived through this, he was going to make sure that Sam was the diver for the rest of the year. 

He looked around but then stopped as he felt something grab his injured hand. Not just something. Another hand. 

A human hand.

Dean looked around but he still couldn’t see anything. He felt his lungs burn and ache for air and that’s when he realized his time was up. He inhaled one last breath and then took the mouthpiece out. It was useless to him anyways now. He looked around with his goggles and tried to grab his flashlight, but the grip on his hand was firm. 

After a few minutes, his lungs started to give out and he couldn’t fight the exhale. He felt water fill his mouth instantly and start pouring down his throat. He grabbed at it, trying to stop the burning. He needed air. Now.

He felt the grip leave his injured hand and then he felt two human hands touching his face. And then a pair of soft, plump lips. Dean’s eyes fluttered closed as his mouth opened and he felt a large bubble of air fill it. He gasped, inhaling as much air as he could. How could this strange human being, who seemingly came out of nowhere, hold this much air? Well, for the moment, he didn’t care. It was air. 

Once he had enough, he felt the grip return to his hand. But it wasn’t as firm this time. His arm was being pulled and before he could do anything, he was back out in open water. But he wasn’t alone. He looked at the person in front of him that was holding his hand. At least, that’s what he thought until he stared at the other half of the man’s torso. 

A long, eight foot tail was attached to him, like something out of a Disney movie. He was handsome, Dean couldn’t deny that, and he had a chiseled chest that any guy would kill to have. But Dean was mesmerized by the tail. It was black but it had almost electric blue scales that shimmered in the light of the sun, making them look like they were almost filled with electricity, ready to electrocute anything that came towards them. 

The caudal fin at the end of his tail was wide and long, but it looked as if someone had torn it at one point. It was mostly black, but there were electric blue stripes throughout it, and it almost looked soft to the touch. Dean looked up and his eyes widened as he realized there was a long dorsal fin that was along this creature’s back. It was just like his caudal fin. Mostly black, but flecks of electric blue were sprouted out in random areas. 

He wouldn’t believe it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. He wasn’t one-hundred percent sure, but he was almost positive this was a mermaid. Or, in this case, a merman. Dean felt extremely lightheaded but it soon faded as he felt air hit his face as his head appeared from the water. He coughed out loudly, feeling the water leave his lungs as they started to ache with happiness as he was slowly able to breathe again.

He coughed a few more times, his muscles feeling as if there were three tons in every single fiber of his being. He felt his eyes droop and he slowly started to panic, but the panic left as he felt an arm around his waist, gripping him tightly. He groaned softly as he felt the merman’s tail move skillfully as if though it was the easiest thing in the world. He soon was brought to land, his body slowly being pushed into the sand. 

Dean looked over and caught a glimpse of black hair and sea blue eyes. But then they were gone as the mysterious merman disappeared back into the sea. And that’s when Dean’s eyes closed on their own against his will.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter I suppose so I'm sorry if it's a bit boring. 
> 
> But next chapter won't be :) That's a promise. 
> 
> And thank you all so much for the support. You readers are the reason I'm deciding to turn this into a fic. I'm not sure if it will be a short fic or a long one, but I guess we'll see :)

Dean woke up to hands shaking his shoulder violently. He groaned and opened his eyes to find brown ones staring back at him. “Thank God,” Sam breathed out and rested back on his heels. “Where the hell did you go? And how the hell did you get over here?”

Dean’s brows furrowed as he sat up, resting on his forearm. His eyes scan the shoreline that he’s at. “Where is here exactly?”

Sam shrugged. “Dunno the name of the beach. All I know is that you’re two miles away from the boat.” 

His eyes shot to Sam’s. “Two _miles_?”

His younger brother nodded. “How did you outswim the shark?” he frowned. “That was a great white from the looks of it. And those suckers aren’t slow.”

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. And that’s when all the memories hit him. The sea blue eyes, dark black hair…. The dark _tail_ with electric blue scales. The kiss… “I have no idea,” he said, avoiding Sam’s gaze. “Maybe the current helped?”

He looked at him skeptically but said nothing. “Did you get the necklace?”

The older brother reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled the box out. “Yeah,” he said, obviously distracted as he tried to piece everything together. Mermen couldn’t be real. There was no way. Maybe he had just hit his head harshly? Yeah, yeah. That sounds right. 

“Good. Zachariah called in about an hour ago while we were searching for you.”

“An hour?” he frowned. “That’s how long I’ve been out?”  
Sam shrugged. “That’s how long it took us to find you. I dunno how long you’ve been out.”

Dean rubbed his eyes and then pulled his knees to his chest. “So, Zach called. What does he want now?”

His younger brother watched him cautiously. “There’s another shipwreck. Maybe five miles out from shore. But, I can do it. You can watch over me on the boat. I don’t want t-”

“Sam, I’ll be alright.” he said, partially honest. He was scared to death from the water, but he wasn’t going to let some shark control his life. “Just make sure it’s shark free.”

He breathed out a laugh, staring at his older brother with awe. “Yeah, I told Zach that. He said there was netting around it. It’s safe.”

He grunted as he stood up. “Yeah, well that’s what Zach said about the last one too.”

Sam shook his head. “We’ll do a sweep around before you go in.”

“Alright. When do we start?”

“Um, you won’t start until Thursday. For now, you need to relax and recoup.”

Dean couldn’t help the breath of relief that escaped him. “Okay, good. How far is the boat from here?” he asked, his eyes shooting back to the water. 

“The boats over there. And we made sure the shark was gone. That must have been some freak accident. When I talked to one of the sailors, he said that in the past twenty years that he’s been in these seas, he had never seen a great white that close to shore before.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a first for everything.” he said, thinking back to the merman who saved his ass. 

Sam studied him as he stood up too. “Are you sure you’re alright?” he frowned. “You look… out of it.”

Dean waved his hand. “I’ll be fine. Nothing a couple of beers can’t fix.”

He laughed. “That sounds like the Dean I know.”

He mustered a smile. “Bitch.”

Sam grinned. “Jerk.”

 

______

 

Dean slid the mouthpiece into his mouth and slid his goggles on. He turned the oxygen tank on and then flipped backwards off the boat, his world turning upside down as he was surrounded with bubbles. Soon the bubbles cleared and he was along the coral reef again. 

Tomorrow he would have to swim out five miles. He didn’t know how to feel about it, considering the event that occurred on Monday. But he needed to escape from Sam’s questioning gazes and all of the subtle questions. And the water, no matter how much he hated it, was the only place he could go that Sam wouldn’t follow. It helped that it was peaceful under the waves that lapped over each other, a nice place where Dean could process his thoughts and sort throughout his feelings.

The past two nights, that… that merman kept appearing in his dreams. And it was always the same dream. Dean would be trying to escape the danger and he would be saved. He would always wake up agitated right before the merman kissed him. He had no idea why the dream was being so consistent, but it always gave him a headache afterwards.

He moved his legs slowly, watching the colorful fish swim around him and and around the coral and on the ocean floor. He swam towards them slowly so as not to startle them, and simply watched with awe as they swam peacefully, their scales shining and glimmering under the water as the sun shone down on them. 

Sam and himself had been in Hawaii for about three weeks now. They always moved from place to place along the shorelines, studying shipwrecks and then getting everything that they could salvage and sell it to museums or to rich people who could afford it. Of course, Sam was the brains of the group, so he usually did the studying and Dean did the diving. Ironic, isn’t it? The one who is deathly afraid of water, conquering his fear almost everyday. 

If they didn’t get paid what they did, Dean would quit in a heartbeat. 

He watched the little fish for a few more moments and then looked around as he went towards the ocean floor to look at all of the sea shells. Sea shells… There was a time when Dean would collect stuff like this for his foster father, who died about ten years ago from cancer. He’d get little baggies and fill them up until they almost couldn’t zip and then he’d mail them off to Bobby. Bobby would always tell him to quit lollygagging and then call him an idjit, but he never sent them back or complained when he got them in the mail.

In fact, when Bobby died and they went to his house, they found all of the seashells in a special area, labeled and dated. Of course Bobby’s wife Ellen has them now. And every once and awhile, Dean will send her some. But it still hurts, so he doesn’t do it as often. 

After about fifteen minutes of studying seashells, he went back closer to the shore, but he didn’t surface. Instead, he simply floated in the water, trying to sort his thoughts out and figure out who the hell this mystery merman was. 

Why had he saved him? Where did he come from? And how the hell was he real?

He frowned and kicked his legs slowly, deep in thought. He bit the inside of his cheek as his lips tingled from the kiss that they had shared. Would that even count as a kiss? It was more of him saving Dean’s life than a kiss. So, no. He won’t count it as a kiss. 

Not that Dean would have a problem with that. He’s slept with guys and girls before. Gender didn’t really matter to him. His eyes widened. Shit, would the ‘kiss’ between him and the merman count as beastiality? Is there even a law for that when it comes to mythical creatures that shouldn’t exist?

Dean’s thoughts were interrupted by the static piece in his ear. “Dean, are you going to be down there the entire day or are you going to help us secure the net for tomorrow?”

He rolled his eyes and slowly swam up to the surface. He looked up at Sam who was bending over the railing of the boat. He swam towards the boat, turning the oxygen tank off and then climbed up the ladder that Sam had thrown out. He got onto the boat and mustered a smile at Sam. “Sup, Sammy?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Since you’re already geared up, do you want to dive down and make sure the net is secure?” he asked as the boat slowly started to move. 

Dean shrugged. “Sure. Wanna fill my tank up?”

Sam grabbed the hose and then unlocked Dean’s tank. A loud hiss came out of it, but the noise was short lived as Sam stuck the hose around the entrance and filled it up quickly. Just as he finished filling it, the boat came to a stop. Dean could see red buoys lined up horizontally as far as the eye could see. “I’m guessing this is the net?”

Sam nodded. “See, you’re not just looks.” he smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

Thursday went smoothly. There weren’t any sharks or underwater predators that wanted Dean’s head on a pike, which Dean was okay with. But, he couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment that filled his gut when he saw that the merman who saved him on Monday was nowhere to be seen. Of course, he tried to hide that feeling in front of Sam, but Sam wasn’t dumb.

“Hey, man, are you okay?” Sam asked on Saturday afternoon. “You seem… gloomy.” 

Dean was looping the ropes around his hand, his brows pinched together as he tried to focus on the task at hand. “Yeah, I’m just peachy, Sammy. Why do you ask?”

He walked over in front of his older brother, his hands on his hips. “Dean, I haven’t seen you this gloomy since Lisa left you. And that was _years_ ago. What’s up dude?” 

He looked up at him, still looping the rope. “Sam, I’m fine. Honestly. I don’t know why you think I’m so gloomy because I’m not.” he snapped. “So, please, just drop it.”

Sam sighed, knowing he was getting nowhere. “Alright, fine. There’s a storm coming in though so we’re going to put the shipwreck search off until Monday. We don’t need you swimming that deep in stormy water.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said as he got back to looping the rope. “Thanks mom.”

“Jerk.” he muttered. 

“Bitch.”

 

______ 

 

Dean stood over next to the railing of the boat, staring at the gray waters that were reflecting the thunder clouds above. Did he just dream the merman? Maybe he did hit his head on a rock as he was escaping, and the current just pulled him away. Maybe it was pure luck. He bit the inside of his cheek.

He thought back to the incident, back to when they were holding hands. Dean’s wound was now healed and only a slight scar remained. He looked down at his palm, feeling his fingers tingle as he thought back to that day. The merman had to be real. He had to be.

He looked up at the skies and bit his lip. Sam was out, buying some food so that they would have enough for the trip. The shipwreck was extremely far out, farther out than any one they had dealt with so far. So Sam, being the overprotective brother as he is, was buying as much food as he could afford. 

He tapped his fingers on the railing. He was insane, he was absolutely insane. But he was going to do it. He had to. If he didn’t find anything today, then he would give up. He’d quit thinking about it and he would move on with his life. He walked down and under the deck to his small cabin. The ship was a smaller one, but it had about two to three rooms under the deck. 

He walked onto his bed and grabbed his wet suit and slid into it. He had a limited amount of time before Sam came back, but he knew he had at least an hour. An hour was enough to at least search the area they were in, maybe a little farther out. He grabbed his goggles and his flippers and then walked back up to the upper deck. 

He found a tank and filled it up with oxygen quickly. He slid it on and then buckled it and grabbed the mouthpiece, sliding it into his mouth. He put on his goggles and then his flippers. He walked over to the edge of the railing, turned on the oxygen, and looked up at the stormy skies. He was an idiot, he was stupid, he was doing the most dangerous thing a scuba diver could do.

And he was now surrounded by bubbles. 

Dean blinked as he looked around. The waters weren’t as clear, but that was fine. They were clear enough that he could see a merman if it swims within fifteen feet of him. He looks around and sees the coral reef that he’s swam by everyday for the past three, almost four weeks. But, it was different this time.

The once colorful, busy reef was now a slight grayish pink, and there were no fish to be seen. Even the fish knew it was not smart to be out right now. He turned around and swam out further, swimming towards the floor of the ocean. If there’s a merman, he probably won’t be close to the surface. Or close to the shore.

As he swam out, he could feel the chill of the water. It was a different chill from the normal one. And the current was extremely strong, pushing against his body. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to go back, to return to safety. But he kept swimming. 

The water only seemed to only get darker and darker as he swam, the current pushing against his shoulders as he tried to move forward. He could feel the waves that were up top, crashing against each other as they violently fought the winds. He could basically feel the vibrations they were leaving. 

He swam close to the ocean floor, not knowing how much time had passed since he left the boat. He looked above and he couldn’t see a sign of the boat anywhere. That would usually be the warning sign for the diver, telling them they were too far out and that they needed to go back. Yet he kept moving. He started to look around the area, his eyes scanning for some kind of black tail or human flesh, some sign of _life_ , but he couldn’t find anything.

Dean heard a humongous rumble above, and he knew the storm had started. He decided that now would be the time to go back to the boat. Sam was probably there, wondering where the hell he was anyways. He turned his body around and started to swim back, feeling the disappointment in his gut again. He really had made up the merman. Now he felt extremely stupid. 

And that’s when the current hit him. 

He felt panic rise in his chest and he started to swim against it, moving his arms as fast as he could. But he hadn’t been prepared, so he didn’t have as much strength. He started to swim to the side like his teacher had taught him when he first started diving, but that didn’t help. He felt like he was getting crushed and his arms couldn’t move anymore. His body got pushed to the left, right, up and down. He felt his body twist in ways he didn’t know was possible. 

He looked around, trying to find something to grab onto. He found the ledge of a rock poking out from the sand and he quickly gripped it tightly. He pulled himself towards it and tried to keep low. But his tanks were too big and the current was pushing against him. And that’s when he had to make a choice. Oxygen or being safe. He felt tears prick his eyes as he inhaled deeply. He could hold his breath for five minutes. He could try and make it out, right?

He clicked the button on the buckle of his tanks and felt them leave his body almost instantly, along with the pressure. He felt his cheeks puff out as he tried to keep the air inside his mouth. He looked at the rock and saw that it was some kind of platform because it was lined up all the way to the left. Towards the shore. 

Dean gripped it tightly and slowly started to pull himself towards it. If he could just hold his breath long enough, he could get away from the current and float to the top, getting air. He didn’t know how far down he was under, but that was another problem he could worry about. Right now, he just needed to focus on getting out of the situation he was in. 

As he pulled himself along, he felt his lungs start to burn. Fuck, how long had it been? It couldn’t have been more than three minutes. He still had two minutes left in him, didn’t he? His lungs were screaming otherwise. He swallowed the last of his air, trying to calm them down. The burning eased slightly, but he could still feel it. 

He gripped another edge of the platform and he was looking to the left, trying to maintain hope. In fact, he was so distracted by it, he didn’t see the rock that was floating towards him quickly. He turned to look just in time and felt his eyes widen. But the rock never hit him.

He blinked and then stared at what stopped it. He saw the torso of a man’s back, the dorsal fin black with electric blue strands throughout it. He looked and saw the long black tail with the electric blue scales and he couldn’t help the joy that he felt in his chest. 

He hadn’t imagined it. The merman was real. 

Dean watched as the creature threw the rock above them, the current taking it away. It then turned around, and his blue eyes met with Dean’s. His black hair moved on it’s own, floating around his head as he stared at Dean. He then swam quickly, his arms at his sides as he body moved swiftly, like a wave. And that’s when Dean noticed he had gills on either side of his neck and fins on either side of his face that started at the end of his jaw line. They stood out wildly as the current brushed against them.

They were beautiful, black at the base and it faded into electric blue at the tips. God, this creature was gorgeous. The merman swam towards him and his hands reached out for Dean, black pectoral fins with electric blue spots on them waving around wildly. Dean reached his hand out and the creature grabbed it gently but strongly. 

His lips found Dean’s as Dean felt air be pushed into his mouth. He opened his throat, feeling sweet, sweet relief as his lungs calmed down. He exhaled and then inhaled again and pulled away slightly, giving the creature a thumbs up.

He nodded and then pulled on Dean’s arms. He touched Dean’s face and Dean could hear a clear voice that he had never heard before say one word. 

_Kick_.

Dean nodded and started to move his legs as the merman pulled him to the left, his long black tail moving swiftly as the scales glowed brightly. Dean couldn’t help but stare in awe as they continued to move. 

They made it to the shore within ten minutes. Dean had been pretty far out, but the creature’s intense speed made up for it. He felt Dean pull him towards the top and then they surfaced together, Dean gasping for air and then coughing. The creature pushed him towards the shore, but still followed slowly as Dean walked up to the beach, panting heavily and coughing water out. 

It was raining and the thunder was rolling, but luckily there was no lightning. He turned around and looked at the creature who was turning to leave.

“Wait!” Dean rasped out, not sure if the creature heard him over the loud sound of rain or not. But the creature did, as he turned around, his blue eyes staring into his own. He panted and then asked, “What’s your name?”

His blue eyes softened and only one word came out, in the same voice that Dean had heard in his head. “Castiel.” he said gently and then turned around and swam under the surface, disappearing just as quickly as he had appeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written on a tablet 
> 
> I apologize of there's some stuff that's been autocorrected. 
> 
> I'll fix it asap 
> 
> But please, enjoy <3

Dean walked back to the boat just as Sam pulled up to it. He looked over at Sam and felt his face turn pink as Sam looked him up and down.

“Dean,” he said wearily. “Why are you in your wetsuit?” 

He didn't respond. Sam sighed but said nothing. He walked under the deck, carrying the bags in his hand. Dean was safe from the Detective Sam mode. For now anyways. Dean went under deck too and into his room. He got out of his wet suit and into some warm pajamas. As he plopped down on his bed, he looked out his floor-to-ceiling window, staring into the dark sea as he heard the thunder rumble. 

_Castiel_. 

He ran a hand through his hair and then rested it on his stomach. Castiel the merman. He couldn't fight the smile that spread onto his face. Although it faded. Why is it that he couldn't find Castiel, but when he was in some sort of danger, Castiel was there to aid him?

And why him? Out of all humans in the world, out of everyone who gets attacked by a predator in water or drowns, he chose Dean. It didn't make any sense to him, but he decided he’d ask Castiel the next time he saw him. _If_ he saw him again.

Dean's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. “Dean?” he heard his younger brother ask. 

He bit his lip. “Come in, Sam.” he said quietly. 

He heard the door open and soon felt his brother’s heat radiate onto him. “Mind if I sit?”

“Go for it, Sammy.” Dean said as he continued to stare out the window. As he saw a large fish swim by, he realized how much he appreciated the fact that the glass was bullet proof. 

“What's going on, Dean?” he asked as he rubbed his neck. “Like… Are you breaking down or like, I dunno, having aftershocks from Monday? Because ever since that whole shark thing, you've been acting different.” he said as he looked at Dean. “Do you need a break from diving?” 

Dean shook his head. “No, no, no. I… I guess I'm a little shaken up still.” he said. “But I'll live. I promise on Monday, I'll be back to myself.” 

“Okay,” his younger brother said. “I got burgers for us.”

Dean smiled. “Alright. We have some beer in the cooler.” 

Sam grinned. “I'm down.”

______

_Dean looked around him, his eyes having perfect vision underwater. It was crystal clear, just like Hawaii waters were. He blinked and felt his eyes widen as he saw Castiel swimming towards him, his eyes giving Dean a soft look. He feels Castiel’s lips touch his softly and his eyes flutter closed, his hands running through Castiel’s soft black locks…_

He opened his eyes bleakly, squinting from the brightness. 

_What the hell was that?_

He rolled over and sat up, stretching his back as he made a dinosaur-like noise. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes slowly, walking over to the large window and staring at the cerulean water. The sun was out, its bright rays of light glimmering through the ocean. It was a beautiful view and he loved waking up to it. He hoped that Zachariah kept them in Hawaii for at least a few more months.

He walked over to the closet and got dressed in some casual clothes and then walked up to the upper deck. He inhaled the air, feeling himself calm down at the salty scent, the sound of waves overlapping each other. He looked over at Sam who was reading a map.

“You ready for today?” Sam asked, not looking up from his map.

“Yeah,” he said honestly, not feeling any anxiety in his chest like normal. It was weird. “How far out are we?” 

“Maybe five miles more,” he murmured as he looked down at the map and turned it slightly. “It's pretty deep though. I'm gonna give you a bigger tank. You sure you wanna do this one?” 

Dean nodded. “I'm sure Sam. I'll get in my wetsuit.”

Sam quickly gave a thumbs up and then walked to the front of the boat.

Twenty minutes later, Dean was geared up and waiting patiently for them to arrive to their destination. As he crossed his arms, standing next to Sam, Sam spoke up.

“So who is Cass?” he asked as he rolled the map up. 

Dean's face paled. “What?”

“You kept murmuring that name last night. I figured it was some girl you met recently.”

“Oh. Uh, nah he's just a friend. Not even a friend. We just crossed paths and stuff.”

Sam nodded. “Alright.”

Dean let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. 

After an hour of silence, they finally reached their destination. Sam hooked the tank onto Dean's back. He patted Dean's shoulders. “Please, for the love of God, stay safe.” he said with a slight smirk

Dean chuckled and stuck the mouthpiece into his mouth. He put his goggles on and flipped backwards into the water. After the bubbles cleared he slowly swam down, grabbing his flashlight and turning it on. He heard static come through his ear piece and then Sam's voice. 

“Can you hear me?” he asks. Dean taps on his earpiece once. “Okay, good. Now, I think you're close. Swim for a few more minutes and you should find it.”

His voice cut out and Dean knew he was on his own for the time being. He kicked his legs, his flippers moving. Sure enough, he found the wreck within five minutes. He looked around the large ship and exhaled. Luckily, he's just grabbing all the loot he can before he runs out of oxygen. Nothing specific. 

He swam down to the large hole that was on the side of the boat and pulls his pouch towards him slightly. He swam down the hallway, grabbing stuff that looks like it could be valuable and stuffed it inside his pouch. After about an hour of swimming back and forth, he started to look through the rooms, grabbing what he could and searching drawers to grab some of that stuff too.

He entered a room and started to search through some drawers when he suddenly got light headed. He winced and backed up, grabbing his head. He groaned inwardly but stilled as he heard a voice that he had only heard the night before.

 _Danger_. 

Dean blinked and turned around. He frowned but couldn't see Castiel anywhere. Yet seconds later, he heard the voice.

_You need to leave._

He swallows but decided to not second guess it. Dean swam out of there as quickly as he could. He could see the boat above him but he didn't get to move much more before he felt a big gust push him out of the water. Dean flew onto the other side and splashed into the waves, being surrounded by bubbles again.

His arms swirled around as the bubbles cleared. And that's when he saw the ship explode again as it crumbled down into the sand. He looked back up and quickly swam up to the boat, grabbing onto the built in ladder and climbing up.

“Dean!” Sam ran towards him. “What happened?” 

Dean panted, his hands on his knees. “I… I think there was a faulty board or something.” he said breathlessly. 

_And I was just saved... Again._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was a little busy. But I'm back now! <3

It didn't make sense. Castiel was nowhere near him when he saved Dean. So how was he able to contact him? Dean rolled over on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Sam officially grounded him from diving for the week. At least near shipwrecks. He had no idea why he felt so sad about it. Actually, that was a lie. He knew exactly why.

Dean sat up and stared out his window, staring at the dim rays of moonlight shining down through the navy blue world, along with some of the lights from civilization. He walked towards it, rubbing his cheek as he crossed his arms and stared through it. Castiel was out there somewhere, Dean knew that for sure. But now the question was if he was the only one, or if there were more merpeople.

Dean was certain of two things. One, Castiel is real and he came from somewhere. And two, he always came to Dean when he was in danger. He bit his lip and walked out of his cabin. He needed fresh air. He needed space. He slid his shoes on, a light jacket on and then walked onto the top deck, leaving the boat and onto the beach. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, slowly making his way along the shoreline. There was a small, private area that he had found early on in their trip that Dean had claimed as his own for the time being.

As he walked towards the area, he heard some sailors on the dock a few feet away. “Yeah, we caught an interesting one today,” one of the men said.

“I’ll agree. Although I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

“Yeah, agreed. The press is coming by tomorrow to take photos and then send it off to only God knows where.”

Dean stilled at that sentence. No, no. It’s probably some giant ass shark.

“Can you believe it? Mermaids or Mermen actually exist! I thought it was just out of Disney movies or something.”

Dean stopped and stared at the dock. No, no, no, no. It can’t be Castiel, can it? Well of course it had to be. As far as Dean was concerned, Castiel was the only merman alive. And if they kill him…

Dean ran over to the dock but stayed hidden. Luckily, the waves covered the noise of his footsteps, otherwise he would have some big troubles. He listened to the men as they walked over to the boat. Dean could see the anchor down, so he knew that they were staying for the night. He took his jacket off, knowing that the jacket will only cause him to be slower if he gets caught, and then slowly crept onto the wooden planks, thankful once again of how loud the sea was.

He walked over to the Fishing Vessel and slowly crept over the ledge. This boat was medium sized, the wood so worn down that the green paint looked more like mold. It stunk of alcohol and fish and sweat. Dean heard some sailors coming around the corner and he ducked behind one of the large wooden crates, peeking above the lid slightly. They were laughing and clinking their beer bottles, talking about the loot that they had caught today, but also about the merman. 

As they talked, Dean slowly moved behind the crates and around the corner. He turned and started looking for areas that they could keep a merman like Castiel. He obviously was here somewhere, but he wasn’t sure if it was on the lower deck or the top deck. He prayed to God it was the latter. He turned the corner again and that’s when he heard the sound of a tail flailing every once and awhile. Dean moved around quietly, walking towards the noise and that’s when he saw Castiel.

He was tied up in a fishing net that was hanging about two feet above the deck floor. Luckily, the net wasn’t barbed like some were, but he could see the indents on Castiel’s skin from the rope. He must have been in that net for at least six hours, with markings like those. Dean crept over and clicked his tongue, trying to catch Castiel’s attention. 

“Psst. Cass,” Dean whispered loud enough for him to hear. His tail moved slightly but he just stared out at the sea longingly. “Castiel!” Dean hissed quietly.

He saw the fins on Castiel’s jaw twitch slightly. His head moved around and he scanned the area until their eyes met. His brows pinched together as Dean walked towards him slowly. He pulled out his pocket knife that he always carried on him and Castiel’s eyes widened as he started to flop his tail again, causing the chain to rattle. Dean ran towards him and held the chain still. “Shh, calm down. I’m here to save you.” he whispered. “I promise. I just need to cut the rope.”

He watched him with fear but nodded slowly. Dean exhaled and then quickly started to saw away at it. He sawed away at the ropes underneath his body, but his tail was tangled with ropes. Dean would have to fix that when they got to the shore. He finished cutting them and caught Castiel before he could make any noise. His arms instantly wrapped around Dean’s neck as he positioned his arms under Castiel’s body so that he was holding him bridal style.

Castiel exhaled slowly, his blue eyes peeking up at Dean’s as Dean realized just how close their faces were. He walked over to the edge of the boat. “Can you swim with the rope around your tail for right now?” he asked softly. Cass nodded and Dean stood up. He heard the door open behind him just they jumped into the water.

Bubbles surrounded them, but only for a short minute. Soon, they both were able to see, although Dean’s vision was a little blurry. They swam under the dock and popped their heads up, listening quietly for footsteps or some sort of sign that they were in danger. But nothing ever came. So either the men were too drunk to notice or they were highly trained spies. Dean knew exactly which one was the case. He turned to Castiel. “I have a quiet area where I can cut the rope off for you,” he said softly.

“That sounds good,” Castiel says in his gravelly voice. Dean felt his chest tighten at just how attractive that voice was.

“Alright, good.” he said, his voice cracking slightly. He was thankful that it was dark under the dock, that way Castiel couldn’t see his blush.

 

______

It was a small cave-like place that had a small river leading to the center of it. The rock that surrounded them was sort of dome-like, although it had a hole in the center and tiny hole’s around the walls, making it so that they could see in there. There were a few boulders that were sunk into the sand so that they acted like chairs around the circle of the sand. 

“You can sit in the water,” Dean said softly. “I’ll cut the rope off your tail and then you can leave..”

Castiel nodded as Dean squatted down, grabbing his tail gently and slowly sawing through the rope around it. “Thank you,” he said gently. Dean’s brows furrowed. 

“What?”

“Isn’t that human customs? To thank someone for helping them?”

He nodded his head. “Yes but you don’t need to thank me for this. This is me repaying you for all the times that you saved me.”

Castiel sighs as he leans on his forearms. “You know, my brother was right about humans but also wrong.”

“Brother? You mean, there are others of your kind?”

He nodded. “Yes but we like to stay hidden. One of the main reasons is because of what you witnessed tonight.”

He cut the last of the ropes and then sat down in the dry sand. “How did you get into their net?” he frowned. “I mean, you always seem so careful…”

His blue eyes met Dean’s green ones. “I was studying their boat… I thought it might have been yours.”

Dean felt his heart ache. “Cass… you can’t do that. It’s not safe.”

“Well now you sound like my father,” he said as he started moving his tail up and down in the water. 

“Well your father isn’t wrong. It’s not okay up here. People don’t see you the way I do. They see you as a science project, not a… human being mixed with a fish who saves people.” 

Castiel bit the inside of his cheek. “You’re right. But can I ask where your boat is?” 

He raised an eyebrow but then sighed. “It’s on the east bay. We’re surrounded by a small cafe and some palm trees if that helps.”

He smiled a little. “It does. A cafe is a building, right?” he asked curiously.

Dean couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “Yes. It is.”

He nodded and then looked out at the Sea. “I need to head home.”

He looked down at his hands. “Please, stay safe, Castiel. Avoid fishnets.”

“Will do. By the way, you never told me your name.”

“Well you never asked.”

“Well, what is it?”

He smiled slightly. “Dean.” he said quietly. “My name’s Dean.” 

Castiel caught Dean off guard by leaning forward and kissing him gently. Dean’s eyes widened but then fluttered closed as he opened his mouth, letting Castiel skim his tongue across Dean’s own for a moment. Dean slowly cupped his face, his fingers rubbing over Castiel’s fins gently. Castiel pulled away and panted slightly. “Until next time, Dean,” Castiel said softly and then went into the river and disappeared, once again, leaving Dean breathless.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may not be as exciting as previous chapters, but I still wanted to make it :D

_Castiel’s POV_

Castiel kissed Dean gently, his eyes fluttering closed as his tongue slid into his mouth softly, feeling Dean’s hand cup his cheek. If his father were to find out about this… Oh man, he would be forced into exile. This was the number one rule for his kind. Stay away from the shore, stay away from boats, and most importantly, stay away from humans. 

Yet here he was, lip locking with the man of his dreams. 

Castiel pulled away gently and then looked out at the sea. His family was probably already worried about where he was. Hell, he had left at noon and it was now past sundown. He’d tell them the partial truth, that he got caught in a net, but not the whole truth. Like about kissing Dean. 

He looked into Dean’s bright green eyes, trying to study every little brown fleck that he could see in those green orbs. “Until next time, Dean.” he said softly and then swam out of the river and into the sea. His thoughts were scattered but he tried to keep his mind blank. The thing with merpeople is that if they were within distance of each other, they could hear each other’s thoughts. And he didn’t need his siblings hearing about it. They’d go straight to their father and then his father would have no choice but to exile him from their part of the sea. 

He swam quickly, his tail flowing along the current as he swam to the side. He inhaled deeply as he swam deeper and deeper until he was soon in the long undersea canyon that led to his home. After about three hours of swimming through them, avoiding the fangtooth fishes and the squids that lurked in the dark corners, he found his way to their home. He could only hear silence, which wasn’t surprising since it was night time. He swam up to the large tree that stood tall in the middle of nowhere, no rocks or shells near them at all.

Castiel swam up the trunk, his fingers rubbing the glossy wood as he swam into the branches of this tree. It was at least fifty feet tall and it branched out as far as thirty feet. The humans hadn’t discovered this part of the ocean yet. They didn’t know about this tree. To humans, this tree was simply a myth. An urban legend. 

Millions of years ago, according to the “legend”, when God created the world, he created the seas. He created sharks and squids and all of those other animals, but he also created merpeople. Millions of them. He let the sea be populated and filled with them, and for years the merfolk and humans got along. But then merfolk started to disappear. And that’s when God realized that humans were hunting them down and killing them, skinning their tales and using them as decoration.

So God made the rest of the merfolk a safe haven, way down in the deep sea, where humans could never touch. The Tree of Life. He made it big enough so that each merperson could have their own home and be safe. The tree always had a golden glow coming from it so that the merfolk would never lose track of the tree if they went away from it. To make sure they would be safe, as an extra precaution, God surrounded the tree with canyons and predators so that he could preserve what little merfolk were left.

Before God left the earth to be in heaven, he left one merman in charge. Chuck, Castiel’s father. At the time, Chuck didn’t have children or a wife. But soon after, Chuck fell in love with a girl named Mary and had their first child, a baby merman named Michael. 

Then came Lucifer, and then Balthazar, then Gabriel, then Anna, and finally, Castiel. And that’s where they grew up and lived for the past three eons. They always went out to the boundaries, but rarely ever passed it, except for dire emergencies. They could swim out as far as they wanted whenever they wanted, except for close to the shore. 

There were only three rules that the merfolk could not break. If they broke them, they would be banished from the safe haven and forced to live out in the ocean where they would have to fight for their safety. And Castiel had broken all three rules.

He swam up to the branches and to the center of the tree where the glowing was most bright. He swam up just in time to see Lucifer and Michael having a heated argument. 

_You take that back, you squish!_

_Excuse you, fish head, I’m not taking anything back. You’re a sadistic dick that’s testing my patience._ Michael squinted at Lucifer.

_Oh, really? So just because I decide to hide while you get into a fight, I’m a dick?_

_Lucifer, it was a great white shark!_ Michael’s fins on his jaw fan out as the purple specks on them glowed furiously with anger. His lavender tail stiffened as he clenched his fist. _The least you could have done was help me!_

Lucifer rolled his eyes, crossing his arms so that his dark red pectoral fins lined up. _Quit being such a baby. You lived didn’t you?_ he said as he leaned against one of the firm branches standing up, his red tail moved back and forth slowly. 

Michael swam towards him with anger as he reached his hands out. _Why, you little-_

 _Enough!_ a voice echoed in their heads. Castiel hid behind one of the branches quickly, poking his head out as he listened to them. Chuck swam out, his large black tail glowing with yellow scales. He looked down at his two sons arguing, buffing his chest out as he held his spear tightly. He clenched his jaw, his fins connected to his jaw stiffening as he straightened his back out, staring down at his two sons with disapproval. _At this rate, you’ll wake up the entire colony. Quit arguing, the both of you. Now, where is Castiel?_

Lucifer shrugged as he looked down at his hands. _Dunno. Left like eight hours ago and hasn’t come back since. Hey, if he doesn’t come back tomorrow, can I have his cove?_

 _My god, Lucifer! Our baby brother is missing and you worry about having his cove?_ Michael glared at him.

Castiel swam out, pretending to be exhausted. _Sorry, I’m so late. I got stuck in the current and it took me farther out than I expected._

Chuck looked him up and down but then nodded. _Well, you missed our meeting today. We’re having some problems out in our Atlantis department._

_What’s that?_

_Merfolk are starting to go missing out there,_ he frowned. _We’re sending out a squadron to look around our borders and see if they can find anything._

His eyes fell. _Alright. I’m sorry for being gone as long as I was. It was out of my control,_ he said honestly. _It won’t happen again._

Chuck nodded and then turned his spear in his hands. _Well, you three need to get to bed. Before you wake up our entire colony._ he shot a look at Lucifer and Michael. 

He nods and swam over to his small area that belonged to him. He rested down on the thick branch, looking down at the bark. He shut his eyes, turning his thoughts off for the night. No one needed to know what he was thinking. 

 

______

 

Castiel woke up to his older sister pouncing on him. He groaned. _Anna, it’s too early…_

She smiled widely, her red hair floating around her head as she shook his arm some more and then started swimming in circles around him. _Cass, come on! You’re going to miss the new arrival of the babies!_ she chirped.

_You have the energy of a five-year-old. Please, leave me be._

He could hear Anna sigh loudly in his ear. _Cass!_ she drug out the ‘s’ in his name. _Come on! You might get to train one of them!_

 _Who would be dumb enough to give me that responsibility?_ he says as he slowly sat up. She smiled widely at him and then waved her hand, motioning for him to follow. He inwardly sighed and then got off his branch and followed her, his black tail moving swiftly as they swam down to the sand bank and over to the cove. Castiel was dragged to the front by Anna, joining his other siblings. They could hear cracking sounds echoing through the water and then little heads popped up. There were only five, so it didn’t take very long.

Except for the last egg. The last egg didn’t want to crack at all. All of the merfolk watched with anticipation, but after a few minutes, it did nothing. They all sighed and started to swim away when they heard a loud crack. They all turned around and stared as a pair of sea blue eyes appeared, followed by blonde hair. They looked around and she blinked as her tiny eyes met Castiel’s.

He watched with fascination but it soon turned to horror as the baby girl swam out and towards him, stumbling over herself a little. She had a light blue tail that blended in well with the cerulean waters. She swam up to Castiel, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. Her tiny fins popped out slightly as she smiled. She clung onto his tail and he swallowed deeply as everyone stared with shocked looks.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how the egg ceremony worked. They chose the finkin not the other way around. Chuck swam over, staring at the girl curiously but saying nothing. _I guess you’ll be the one to train her_ he said, looking up at Castiel. Castiel swallowed and then looked out at the sea. 

_A-Alright. She’s going to the nursing branch for now, right?_ he asked. The finkin don’t start training until they’re at least three weeks old. By then, they’ll be at the age of sixteen. The nice thing about the eggs is they grow quicker than normal human babies. But until then, they go up to the infirmary and are nursed. 

_Yes, but your responsibilities will be taking place on the day of the summer solstice._ Chuck picked up the little girl. She looked over at Castiel and he chuckled slightly.

 _I think she might want me to take her._ he held his hands out for her.

Chuck handed her over and Castiel swam up to the branch, holding the baby in his arms. As he looked down at her, he realized he needed to name her. He thought hard about it, but then a flashback comes to mind. The name of Dean’s boat…

 _Claire,_ he looked down at her. _You like that name?_

 

She smiled widely and Cass got his answer.

 

______

 

Castiel swam around, looking at all of the colorful fish and smiling widely. He was close to the shore, Dean being the only thing on his mind since he was far enough out to not let anyone hear his thoughts. God, that human was perfect. Castiel looked to his right and saw a dolphin swimming next to him.

He slowed down and held his hand out, rubbing the Dolphin’s back gently. The dolphin made a type of noise and he grinned as he continued to pet the dolphin. He loved dolphins. They were extremely nice and non-violent. Magnificent creatures, really.

As he pet the dolphin, another one appeared beside him. He smirked and then put his hands down to his side, looking at them both and then speeding ahead. His caudal fin moved quickly as he sped through the waters. The dolphins caught on instantly and soon they were speeding towards the shore together for a while. After awhile, they split different ways, and Castiel waved them off. He turned around and started to swim forward when he stopped abruptly, watching as something entered the water. It started to sink to the bottom and that’s when Castiel realized it was a person. But not just any person.

Dean.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter, I'm sorry, but I needed to get this up. I have school starting tomorrow so yeah :\
> 
> I'll try and make up for it on Tuesday and write a long chapter :)

_Castiel’s POV_

Castiel raced towards his body as fast as he could, his tail moving quicker than usual. He could see the air bubbles leaving his body and Castiel knew instantly that Dean was unconscious. He swam over and down, his arms wrapping around Dean’s body. His face was pale and Castiel could see a cut on his lip. 

Castiel frowned as he looked up. They were too far down from the surface. Dean was going to drown if he didn’t get air in his lungs. Or maybe… 

_No, Castiel. Don’t even go there_.

Castiel opened his mouth and sucked all of the water out that he could. He forced air into Dean’s mouth and then closed it, plugging his nose. His eyes searched around for one of the dolphins but he couldn’t find any of them. Where the hell had they gone? He started swimming towards the surface and put Dean on his shoulders so that once his head popped up above waters, Dean’s would too.

He swam up and coughed as he looked around, his head surfaced above the waves. He frowned. The shore wasn’t anywhere in sight. In fact, they were still miles away from the shore. How the hell did Dean get out this far? There wasn’t a boat in sight or any sign of life. 

He turned around, pulling Dean around so that they were face to face. He looked like he had been beaten to a bloody pulp, yet somehow he still looked beautiful. Castiel pushed that thought to the side. Right now, he couldn’t focus on that. They were far enough from the shore that Castiel knew he’d end up passing out from exhaustion if Dean wasn’t conscious. The water did help with the weight, but not by much.

 _Castiel, you are an idiot. You’re insane. And-oh my god you’re doing it!_ his self conscious screamed at him with horror as he grabbed his pectoral fin, squeezing it harshly whilst trying to keep Dean afloat. Cass groaned as a small white pearl popped out. He grabbed it quickly. He looked at the little bead and swallowed nervously. If he did this, this would not only get him exiled but the merfolk would kill Dean. If they knew he was human. 

Very few merfolk could do what Castiel was about to do. In fact, the only other merfolk that could do this were his family. A gift from God to Chuck. Five pearls laid in each of their pectoral fins, in case of emergencies. Say a merfolk or fin-kin gets their tail cut off or they are dying. These pearls could save their lives. Give them a completely new tail or new gills or whatever the merperson needed most at that time. 

But Castiel had no idea how this would work with a human. But they were too far from shore. He was desperate. 

_I’m doing the right thing,_ he told himself as he popped the pearl into Dean’s mouth. He pushed them underwater and found a ledge to set Dean down on. He swam away a little, watching in fear, concern, and anticipation. He just wanted Dean to be okay. There was a blinding light and a shock of waves sent from his body, sending Castiel flying backwards, bubbles surrounding his vision. He pushed them away quickly, his eyes darting around to the ledge. But the ledge was gone. And so was Dean’s body.

 _Dean!_ his eyes widened as he looked around. He heard a loud cracking sound from below him and he saw the ledge lying down on the Ocean floor. He swam towards it immediately, swimming faster than he had ever swam in his life. As the dust cleared, Castiel’s eyes widened with shock, amazement and… _awe_.

The first thing Castiel noticed was the nine foot tail and the caudal fin that was a deep green. The green faded up into blue as it got higher and closer to his waist. Then he saw the chiseled torso, making his throat go dry even though he was in an ocean filled with water. He swam towards him and looked at his pectoral fins, staring at the dark blue color, light blue spots on them, looking like the night sky almost. 

Castiel saw the fins on his jaw growing in quickly, the black sprouting into green and the tips blue. He blinked and looked on his neck sighing as he saw the gills form. He swam backwards a little and watched with fear, waiting for Dean to open his eyes. After a few minutes, he swam above Dean and got closer to his face. He saw the wounds healing up nicely and soon they were gone, the sun shining through the water and onto his face.

He moved a little closer and before he knew it, he was staring into those same green eyes that had saved him the day before. 

_Dean_. He let a breath of air out in relief. 

Dean looked up at him and then around slowly. _Oh my god, I’ve died. Yep. They mugged me and dropped me in the ocean and now I’ve died._

Castiel’s brows pinched together. _Mugged you?_

He ran a hand through his hair. _Well, more just like they beat me up until I was unconscious. They found out I freed you._

He felt his heart ache and he swam closer to Dean. _I… I’m so sorry._

 _Hey, I’m dead now which is good. I mean, I’m gonna miss Sammy but I’m here with you. Honestly, I thought I was going to hell,_ he smiled and then started to move up. He fumbled with the swimming and was back down on the ledge. And that’s when realization hit him. _Oh my god, I’m not dead._ he looked down at his fins and up at Castiel. _What the fuck? When did I grow a fucking tail, Cass?_

_Dean, please, calm down. I c-_

He swam up and fumbled over himself, doing somersaults in the water until Castiel grabbed his hand and steadied him. He inhaled deeply and his face paled. _Cass, I am a fish._ he looked at him. _I can breathe underwater… I have a badass tail…_ he slid his hands up his neck and face. _Oh my god, I have gills and fins. Cass, why am I a merman?_ he shot a look at him. _What did you do to me?_

At this point, he realized he wasn’t even talking and he started to freak out more. Castiel swam up and covered his mouth, stopping his thoughts. _Shut up and listen._ he looked at him with a serious look. _I did this to you because you were going to die. You can’t stay out here right now and you definitely can’t go back out there. So you’re coming back with me to my people. You cannot, under any circumstance, tell them you are human. You need to act natural, and I will explain everything when I can._

Dean blinked at how serious Castiel was being, so he simply nodded. _Alright._

Castiel inhaled deeply and looked around. _I have some time to explain, but not a lot. I’m going to tell them that you came from arctic quarters and that you were in a squadron that got attacked. You were the only one to make it out alive. Do not answer any other questions, alright?_

Dean blinked and then nodded. _Fine. But you better explain what you can to me on the way._

Castiel visibly relaxed. _Okay. I can do that._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been applying for jobs and dealing with other personal matters. But I'm back for now! :)

This is insane. Absolutely, positively insane. He sighed as he followed Castiel, fumbling every so often along the way, trying to get used to the whole 'tail’ situation. Where were they going? He looked around the dark canyon walls as they swam and then back at Castiel. This was so weird. So fucking weird. 

_You need to learn to shut your thoughts up._ Castiel slowed down so that Dean could catch up. _If the merfolk hear you talking like that, you’ll get both of us killed._

Dean looked at him. _How do you shut your thoughts up?_ he looked at Castiel.

_Just… Don’t think. No inner monologue. No self thoughts. Just act as if this is something you’ve seen everyday of your life, alright?_

He inwardly sighed but then nodded. Think of nothing. Think of nothing. Think o-

 _Dean, I can hear you._ a smirk trickled onto Castiel’s lips.

_Oh._

Within twenty minutes, they finally made it to where they were supposed to be. As they swam up to the tall tree, Dean felt his eyes widen. This tree was enormous, taller than the empire state building and wider than anything Dean had ever seen. Castiel looked over his shoulder at Dean and smiled widely at Dean’s look of awe.

 _You ready to go inside?_ he raised an eyebrow.

Dean couldn’t do anything but nod. Castiel swam up to the base of the tree, Dean following. They entered the main area that Castiel had been in not even twelve hours ago. He frowned as he looked around the area. 

_Michael? Lucifer? Ana?_ he turned his head around as he swam around the tree a little. _Gabriel? Balthazar? Father?_ he rubbed the back of his head. He turned around and his brows furrowed. _Where are they? They usually aren’t out this late. Especially my father._

 _Maybe they went out to get some seafood?_ Dean couldn’t help but smile at his joke. But his smile disintegrated at the look Castiel gave him.

 _This is not a laughing matter. They are usually inside the tree at this time unless something has gone horribly wrong._ he turned and swam out of the base, Dean following.

_Are you sure you aren’t over thinking this?_

_I’m positive. If you know my father, you would know that he doesn’t break rules. And even though it’s more of a suggestion than a rule, we all follow this as if it was one of the three laws._

Dean knew he’d have to ask about the three laws later, but right now he had to help Castiel.

 _Alright. Where would we look?_

Castiel was about to answer when there was a big vibration that the two mermen both felt throughout their bodies. He instantly swam from the tree to the outside and looked around. His eyes landed on the massive boulder that was now crumbling in the sand. _Stay here._ he ordered and then swam towards the commotion quickly.

He turned around the corner to see a sight he never thought he would. Michael had his Trident in hand and it was aimed at Lucifer's throat. Castiel swam behind a rocky wall and watched as Michael pushed it slightly. _Get out of here, brother. You are banned and if you ever return again, I will kill you._

Lucifer stared at him. _You’re exiling your own brother? Seriously?_

Castiel watched as Chuck swam into view. He felt his eyes widen and he made sure his thoughts were off. _Lucifer, you broke the rules. You were in contact with humans. You know you need to stay away from the shore!_ he scowled at Lucifer, but they could all sense his sadness. 

Lucifer’s eyes were filled with betrayal. _Father, it was a mistake. I… I was trying to help you._

Chuck turned his head away. _You were only helping yourself. Be gone._ he waved his hand and swam away. Castiel watched with tears in his eyes as Michael pushed him out of the ring that marked the safe haven. Lucifer looked at him and the betrayal turned to anger. 

_You’re going to regret this, brother. All of you._ he glared and then turn around and swam off. Castiel turned around and let a breath out. There hadn’t been an exile in thousands of years. And never had a child of Chuck’s been the one exiled. He cleared his throat and swam back to where he had left Dean. He turned the corner and felt his eyes widen as he saw Chuck towering over Dean.

 _Where did you say you came from?_ he tilted his head. 

_Uh, Atlantic Records._ Dean blinked, hoping Chuck would fall for it.

_Atlantic Rec-_

_He’s a record keeper at Atlantis,_ Castiel swam in between them. _He got caught in the current when I found him. He was lost and afraid so I brought him back here for the night._

Chuck looked from Castiel to Dean and then nodded. _Well, alright. We’ll get you back to Atlantis tomorrow then. Are you hungry?_

Dean grinned as he felt his stomach rumble. _Hell yeah, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day._

Castiel patted his shoulder. _I’ll get him some food._ he nodded. _Do you know where Gabriel is?_

Chuck shook his head. _I believe him and Balthazar are taming some dolphins at the moment. There were two or three that wandered into our territory up above._

_Okay. I’ll get Dean some food and I’ll take him over to the branches and let him stay with me tonight._

He nodded. _Alright. I have to…. Take care of something._

He turned and swam towards the tree, Castiel’s body relaxing every inch that he swam. He turned to Deam. _You hungry?_

Dean bit his lip. _Cass, I ne-_ Castiel shot him a warning glance and he changed his track of mind. _Starving._

 

______

After a meal filled with scallops, lobsters, crabs, fish, and kelp, Castiel showed Dean to the branch they’d be staying on. He thanked him and then laid down on the rough bark that was extremely slimy. He went to lie on his back but winced. _Ow,_ he frowned as his dorsal fin screamed in protests of pain.

 _Yeah, that tends to happen._ Castiel watched him with those deep, sea blue eyes. Dean blinked at looked down at his lips.

_Can the others still hear us?_

Castiel shook his head. _No. I’ve blocked our thoughts from leaving here for now. It’s just you and me._

He swallowed. _What am I doing here, Cass? I’m not… I’m not meant for this stuff. That tail is.. Awesome, but I can’t stay here forever. I have a brother I need to get back to. A life._

Castiel bit his lip. _I know. I don’t know how long the pearl’s effect will last on you. But I know someone who might be willing to help. We can see them tomorrow and go from there._

Dean nodded and looked down at the branch. Castiel sighed and swam down to the branch, sitting next to him. _I promise, I’ll get you home._

He looked at Castiel and at how close they are. _And where does that leave you? Will I see you again?_ his brows pinched together. 

Castiel smiled a little. _I’m sure you will. We always end up meeting one way or another, don’t we?_ a cheeky smile spread onto his face, his eyes filled with amusement.

Dean blushed and looked down at their tails. He moved his slowly, his caudal fin sliding against Castiel’s. He licked his lower lip and looked down at Dean’s lips. Dean looked over and saw the look he was giving him. _Kiss me already._ he rolled his eyes and moved closer to him, their lips connecting instantly.

He moved their lips in unison as Castiel’s hand slid up to his face and cupped it gently. Dean slid his tongue into his mouth, intertwining their tongues as his eyes fluttered closed. He let his tongue explore his mouth as his hand slid into Castiel’s black locks. After a minute, Dean pulled away, inhaling deeply and still being weirded out by how natural it felt.

Castiel bit his lip and smiled a little. _We should get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow, Dean._

He nodded and rolled over onto his stomach as Castiel swam to his branch. Dean smiled a little, his lips tingling from the kiss, and then rested his head on his arms, wrapping his tail around the branch so that he wouldn’t roll off. He soon fell into a deep sleep, filled with sea-blue eyes, electric-blue scales, black locks, and lips that were softer than silk.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been MIA for so long and I apologize. I've had major writer's block and school really hasn't been helping. But I definitely wanted to get this out and I'm going to try to work on some of my other stories too. I apologize that this is so short.
> 
> But please, enjoy <3

Dean followed Castiel as they swam from the tree and towards the canyon walls. He studied the floor of the ocean, still in awe of it's beauty, as the sun's rays danced on it. He hadn't slept very well the day before, but he wasn't really surprised by that. He kept getting his fins all tangled up with the branch and he would always roll over onto his dorsal fin. It also didn't help that the bark kept scratching at his back and his cheek.

 _You complain too much._ Castiel said with a small smile as they were soon in the maze of the canyon walls. 

Dean looked up. _What?_

Castiel looked back at him. _Dean, I can still hear your thoughts. You haven't mastered the skill of keeping them to yourself yet._ he chuckled.

 _Oh._ he blushed as he continued to follow the beautiful merman.

About twenty minutes later, Castiel decided to swim above the canyon, which was fine by Dean. They had almost gotten jumped by a fish that had glowing eyes and then almost got eaten by a large squid. As far as he was concerned, he didn't plan on going back into the canyons again if he could help it. As they swam, Dean looked around and watched with awe. There were hundreds of fish swimming around and they were all sorts of bright colors. He looked down at the canyons, seeing a wide variety of coral and other plants decorating the top of them.

He turned his attention back to Castiel as they continued to swim. _So, where exactly are we going, Cass?_

Castiel sighed and bit his lip. _The sea witch._

Dean let out a laugh before he could stop himself. _Sea witch? Like, an octopus with white hair and purple skin? Like from a Disney movie?_

The young merman frowned as he looked at Dean. _I don't think I understand that reference, Dean. What is a... 'Disney'?_

He cleared his throat. _Right. Uh, nothing. Anyways, so the sea witch. Is she like... super evil?_

Castiel shrugged. _Depends on the mood you catch him in._

_Oh... it's a him?_

He nodded. _Of course it's a him._

Dean blushed and lowered his eyes as they continued to swim. 

After awhile, they started slowing down as they swam towards a darker area of the ocean. Dean felt his gut twist with unease, but he wasn't going to say anything because he didn't want to be a whiny child the entire time. As they got closer, Dean looked widely at the wide temple. It looked almost like something from greek mythology, the building made out of marble stone, the pillars spaced out and supporting it. Although when they were within arms reach, Dean realized how much the pillars had deteriorated and how flimsy and unstable they looked. Castiel lead him down the long hallway that was lit up by strange coral he had never seen before. They glowed brightly in the dark, giving a golden glow around it.

They entered the large room and Dean stared at all of ancient artifacts that layed there. If Zachariah were to hear about these, he'd keep Dean and Sam in hawaii for years until he got every last one. There were golden vases engraved with intricate designs, golden armor that had been rusted over, golden things that looked as if though they were straight from a history textbook. As he stared at the artifacts, he just felt his stomach fill with more unease. _Cass... I don't know if we should be-_

 _Ah, Castiel._ Dean heard a scratchy voice say with a thick, Scottish accent. He felt a cold chill run through his body.

 _Crowley._ Castiel said as they came to a stop in front of a large, throne chair, made of gold and black velvet. Or at least, that's what Dean had thought until he saw the black velvet moving. And then he saw suction cups appear and he swallowed slowly. He saw tentacles appear, one by one, as his eyes slowly moved up the sleek body and watched as the velvety black skin turned into an almost translucent white. But what really freaked Dean out was the black veins that moved up the persons skin, almost making him look like he was a piece of cracked marble. 

The only normal thing about this creature was his face, but even then it wasn't normal at all. He had a nose, eyes, and lips, but they were all surrounded by tiny black veins that moved outward from the sockets and his lips. He had hair but it floated away from his body, as if though it were trying to get away from him too. When he opened his eyes, they were a pitch black. To sum it up, this creature was something from Dean's nightmares. _What can I do for the king's young son, hm? Come here to rub in my face that I'm still banished?_

 _No. I'm here because I need your help._ Castiel said with caution. _I need a potion and you're the only person in this entire sea that has it in his grasp._

Crowley chuckled and slowly moved from his throne, his black tentacles writhing on their own as he swam down. This was nothing like a Disney movie. This was more like something from a horror movie that won an award for scariest film of all time. _And what do I get in return? You know I only make deals, Castiel. I'm not a charity._ he said with a smile as he moved around the room until he was in front of a cupboard. 

_What do you want in return?_ Castiel asked as he watched him with a steady gaze. Crowley hummed with a chuckle. 

_We both know what I want, Castiel. And we both know I can't have it._

_I know you can't have it. But I can give you one of the kings son's. Lucifer._ he said with a steady tone.

The witch moved forward with interest. _Lucifer? The little brat that got me banished in the first place?_

He nodded. _Yes. He's been exhiled himself. Free game. And I know he won't be hard to find, not with powers and connections that you have._

Crowley watched him speculatively. _And what potion are you wanting?_

 _A human potion. One that can transform a merman or mermaid to a human._

He squinted at Castiel and then looked at Dean. _Haven't seen you before._ he said as his black eyes glimmered with fascination. _There's something off about you..._

Castiel swam in between them. _Do we have a deal, Crowley?_

Crowley huffed, some bubbles leaving his mouth, but then he nodded. _Yes, we have a deal._ he looked at Castiel before handing him the vile from the cupboard. _You know, if Lucifer knows that you used him as your offering,_ he said as he turned his head slightly. _He's going to want your head on a pike._

He nodded. _I know. But Lucifer won't find out._ he said as he watched Crowley with a fierce gaze now. _Because these meetings are confidential._

The creature smiled. _Yes. One hundred percent._

Castiel watched him skeptically before grabbing Dean's hand. _Come._ he ordered. Dean swallowed but nodded, too afraid to say anything else. All he knew is he wanted to get out of there before things went terribly wrong. 

As they swam out, Dean still felt as if eyes were watching their every move. He tried to convince himself it was just his paranoia. Dean had no idea just how wrong he was.


End file.
